Our homes are our sanctuaries, a place where we feel safe and relaxed, removed from the world. So the thought of someone being able to permanently shatter that peace is repulsive. But if you fall victim to a burglary, that is exactly the consequence.
Far beyond losing your personal belongings – which is bad enough in itself – it’s the loss of your peace of mind, and the feeling of violation when a stranger has entered your home and rifled through everything that victims report being most traumatised by.
Burglaries are on the rise, so the likelihood of having to experience such an event is a real danger. What can you do to keep your property more secure and you and your loved ones safer?
Most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, committed because the thief sees an easy win in front of them, so a lot of the proactive solutions you can take are about making things seem harder. That means there are plenty of low-cost steps which can minimise your chances of falling prey to an opportunistic criminal.
Making your home a hundred per cent secure is never going to be possible, but you can take a few steps that will reduce the risk of this awful occurrence befalling you.
Make Home Security A Habit
Many of us are compromising the security of our homes simply through a few bad habits which can quickly and easily be corrected. It is also important to make sure that other members of your household are doing these things, as it only takes one person not covering them off to create that opportunity a burglar needs.
Start by always ensuring that doors and windows are locked. You need to coach yourself so that it becomes a habit to lock doors after entering when leaving and also before you go to bed at night. It’s also a good idea to stop opening the door to uninvited callers, and certainly, warn any children against doing so.
The benefits of a security system are significant if it’s well used properly. Any home alarm cost is worth it if it keeps you safe – but many of us don’t use our alarm systems properly. Make sure that you always activate it, even if you’re just nipping to the shops. The key is to train yourself to do these steps automatically.
Hide Your Keys Better
You’d be surprised how many people still keep a spare key ‘hidden’ in an extremely obvious place! Under the front door mat or beneath a conveniently placed rock- you may think it’s subtle, but it’s the first place a potential burglar will look.
Too many people still use the same tried and tested places. It’s far better to give your spare key to a neighbour you trust or a family member – but definitely not labelled with your address!
Similarly, be careful where you put your door keys and car keys when you come in. Leaving them in the hallway on or on the kitchen counter is inviting trouble. Far better to use a cabinet or drawer elsewhere in the house where it’s not obvious.
Light Up
Darkness is the perfect cover for an opportunist thief, so deter them with lots of light – outdoor lights that work with motion sensors are ideal for scaring people off with a sudden burst of light.
Place them overlooking driveways and at any entry points. Thieves won’t like their break-in attempts to be bathed in a floodlight, so they work as a really effective deterrent. Moreover, consider consulting with outdoor lighting contractors to design a system that eliminates blind spots and dark corners where cameras might struggle to capture clear footage. Professional installers can layer various types of illumination, such as path lights and spotlights for architectural features.
Check them regularly to replace any bulbs which have burned out. You can also use timers really effectively in the house, especially if there is regularly no one home in the evening or if you’re going away on holiday.
Set them in advance to switch the lights on and off at random times to give the effect of someone being at home. You can also use timer plugs on the TV for a similar effect.
Check Your Outdoor Space
Have a quick check of your outdoor space as well. Make sure that any fencing is whole and undamaged without any obvious gaps and when it comes to shrubbery, prune it back.
Anything too high and overgrown creates a perfect hiding place for a thief to stand and check out your house. Take a look at doors and windows from the outside as well.
Anything in bad repair or that is made of hollow material in terms of doors is bad news – go for solid core entry doors that provide more reinforcement.
I should probably hide keys more, especially having a keyless entry car it is important to hide them keys securely.
No there’s nothing I need to do I just Stick a photograph on my mother in law on the front and rear glass doors and that’s enough to frighten any burglar away
Some very good tips here my hubby has ocd and double checked everything and would never dream of leaving key outside it would give him nightmares
I could definitely improve by finding a better place to hide my keys.
Yes I could make my home safer with some security lights at the front this is something I should be looking into getting
I must admit, I am pretty keen on home security, as I have a volunteer job with the Police checking vulnerable people’s homes for security!
I have one fence that really needs replacing must get round to it.
yes some good ideas
Done these, have an alarm and cctv.
Invaluable tips will save heartache to act now
These are great security tips
Some good tips, I want to invest in some more security, outdoor light sensorsetc.
Thank-you for this! Brings home the simple things we can do that we might forget about to make our homes safer! 🙂
Some great tips here, will defo try some of these to make my garden and home feel a bit safer. Thank you!
We have a few things in place at ours, but front doors are very important, we ensure they have secure locks on them, but we also use Ring doorbells and have cctv, plus very good neighbours is always a bonus!
Great tips!! I’m going to start leaving a light on in the evenings when we are out maybe set them on a timer
It is so easy to forget and its awful that people might take advantage of that. Better to be safe than sorry.
we have jut put lights at the back and we have An alarm but id like to get a camera too
I think we all grow lax in remembering security and so this reminder is great.
I have done/own most on the list, perks of having a handy & protective daddy who had 6 girls.
Fab advice
Yesss – great tips
We are getting a new puppy soon so I’m am extremely concerned about security. Will definitely be getting loads of outside lights with motion sensors.
We are so lucky, we live next door to two police officers, one of which is a dog handler, KC, the dog lives next door, so it’s 50/50 whether KC and the Police car will be parked in the drive, which is a great deterrent!
Great article, fantastic tips.
Great tips, thanks a lot
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lots of great tips here. We have got security lights on the front and back of the property and an alarm. Id like to have cameras up around the property too, That will be next on the list of things to do.
Great tips x
We’ve just got a ring doorbell. Hoping that will give more security and deter unwanted callers
These tips would most definitely come in good use in my home.
Some great tips here! Hiding my keys better I need to consider more along with my handbag
Luckily we don’t have to worry toouch about security. We live on the top floor of flats with a locked main door so if someone did get in they would have to make it to the top first.
We still always lock the door etc but never had any problems
Great tips and a reminder to me to get my security light bulb changed.
I do these already.
I’m tempted to get the light timers as they would give me peace of mind!
Yes, I think I could.
I think I could take alot of these on board I’m moving in few months and will definitely keep these in mind for then as it’s a more open property than I’m currently in thank you
Some great advice, thank you
Really great tips, and I think I can do all of these.
There are several tips I that I should and will adopt ! Thanks
It’s our front & back door I’d like to change, as they’re plastic. Can’t change that though, cos it’s housing association.
The point about habit is so good. I could give more thought to my spare keys, as well. Thank you!
Awesome ideas. I’ll keep this in mind.
I have already done all of these things so feel quite secure.
some brilliant tips, we probably do most but don’t hide the keys, this will be the new thing to add to our security routine!
I think it’s forming good security habits such as checking doors and windows are properly closed and if you have a security alarm that you always set it when necessary
We heavily pruned shrubbery last year and installed a light and got another dog … still staying vigilant though
i think we’d benefit from some better outdoor lighting.
This was really interesting I always obsessed that people will break in and I even chopped down all my bushes
Great tips, having a burglar alarm and a dog is good for security and having vigilant neighbours helps too
Great tips – super helpful and beneficial !
These are great tips x